William l



(No Model.)

' W. L. VAN METER.

. SHOE MAKERS KNIFE. No. 342,985. Patented June 1, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR WW MoOya/m/ms'lir Aw ATTORNEYS N. PUERS. Pnnmmne nher. wuhin um n. c.

different forms of blades.

UNITED STATES PATENT 'iOrincE.

XVILLTAM L. VAN METER, OF VINELAND, NEV JERSEY.

SHOE-MAKERS KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.342,985, dated June 1,1886.

Application filed September- 30, 1885. Serial No. 178,659.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. VAN ME- TER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Vineland, in the county of Cumberland andState of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinShoe Makers Knives; and I.do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal central sectional view of myimproved knife and holder. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are views of Fig. 7is a perspective detail view. Figs. 8 and 10 are transverse sectionalviews. Fig. 9 is a side view of the heads of the levers B and B, andFig, 11 is a view of the knife handle or holder.

Myinvention has relation to shoemakers knives; and it consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts, as will be hereinafterfully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This class of knives has been heretofore made of straight pieces ofsteel which it has been necessary to grind out to form the requisitecurve to get what is termed the proper hook to the blade, whichoperation has heretofore entailed a loss of time and a waste ofmaterial, besides few cutters are sufficiently skilled in the art ofgrinding edge-tools to grind a knife of this class properly, and theyhave therefore either been compelled to employ skilled labor for thispurpose, or to imperfectly grind the blades themselves. Furthermore,with the old style of blades and handles, the blade, should it have toomuch curve or hook to suit the workman, could not be set up to give itless hook.

My invention has for its objects to improve both the handle and theblades of cutters knives in such a manner as to greatly reduce thenecessity of grinding the blade after it leaves the manufacturers hands,to enable the workman to set the cutting-point up or down any necessarydegree to give the point of the blade the hook that will best suit thecutter.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates theimproved handle,

and B designates one of the blades in placein the handle.

The style or form of the blade can be varied, as I have illustrated inFigs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, the curves and hooks of all ofthe blades beingdied out and not ground out, as before, the die fitting up against thecurved edge where the previous blade was died out, which is a greatsaving in both time and laborin preparing the blades.

I may use any of the styles of blades illustrated in the drawings; butthe blades shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are the preferred ones.

The blade B, Fig. 4, is a double-pointed nearly-crescent-shape blade,and has two or more grinds-that is, it may be sharpened at both ends asoften as may be desired or necessary, until worn too short to beproperly clamped in or between the jaws of the handle A.

'l he handle A is formed of wood, and is first bored axially throughitsentire length. The lower endof the bore is then enlarged for a shortdistance, as at A, to receive the stem or shank, A of the elongated nutA which nut A has an annular milled head, A, which enables the workmanto turn the nut with his fingers. This nut A is provided with an axialbore, A which bore is threaded to receive the fulcrum-screw A at thelower ends of the levers B B and also to receive the threaded shank B ofan awl-point, B.

The handle A is provided with two internal longitudinal grooves, C O, atdiametricallyopposite sides of the longitudinal bore Ahand is sawed orkerfed longitudinally and diametrically through from the neck 0, to theinner end of the enlarged bore A in the base of the handle.

The levers B B are provided with hollow heads B B, which are open attheir inner or meeting faces, and the inner edges of said meeting faceshave small semicircular recesses D made therein, which, when the leversB B' are in place in the handle, meet and form the seats for thetrunnions D D of the clamps or jaws E E. I11 their tops, at theirmeeting edges, the hollow heads B B areprovided with slits D 1), throughwhich the knifeblade is introduced when inserted to place. The head B isprovided in its back with a IOC v of the curves ground to an edge.

rectangular opening or slot, F, through which a worm-screw, F, looselymounted on a short journal, F fixed in said head B, projects and engagesthe teeth H of the clamp or jaw E. The clamp or jaw E has half-trunnionsI I, projecting from its faces just above the projection or shoulder 1on its lower end, and this jaw E is provided with a slot or slit, 1 forthe receptionof theknife-blade. The jaw E is much smaller than the jawE, and rests when in place on the projection or shoulder I of the jaw E.This jaw E has a central vertical or longitudinal slit, K, which, whenthe jaw E is in place, meets the slit 1. of the jaw E, and the two slitstogether form the seat or sheath for the knife-blade.

Below the heads B B the levers B B are split or separated, so that wherea long blade is introduced into the handle the blade may pass throughthe splits in the levers, and if necessary enter the kerfs in thehandle. A ferrule or slotted cap, R, is placed on the neck of the handleand the levers B B are passed into the handle through this slotted cap.

One of the knife-blades, Q, has a projection or shoulder, Q, whichassists in retaining it in its place in'the handle.

Fig. 2 represents a blade having curved points atits ends and oppositecurves in termediate of its ends, with the concave sides of all Tofasten it in the handle the levers are removed the sheath being removedfrom the levers, after which the smallest section of the sheath is putin the place in the top of the lever before occupied by the largestsection of the sheath, the blade being then inserted in the. levers andthe levers put back in place in the handle. The S-shaped blade isfastened in the same way.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination, with the slitted axially-bored and interiorly andlongitudinally grooved handle with the slotted cap or ferrule, of thesplit levers having the heads B B, the wormscrew, the toothed shoulderedjaw E, with half-trunnions, the jaw E, with halftrunnions, thelever-screw, and the elongated milled tightening-nut, substantiallyasspecified.

2. The combination, with the hollow handle and slotted cap,of thesplitlevers with hollow heads, one of which is provided withaworrnscrew, the shouldered jaw E; with half-trunnions, the jaw u, withhalf-trunnions, the worm-screw, and the elongated nut, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I afilx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLlAM L. VAN METER.

\Vitnesses:

F. XV. FLovEL,

R. F. LEsoHKE.

